Washing-machine



(No Model.) v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

O. D. HAMMON. WASHING MACHINE.

No. 576,190. Patented Feb. 2, 1897.

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(No Model.) v

C. D. HAMMON. WASHING MACHINE.

Patented Feb. 2, 1897.

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. u a /W r g f y W NlTED STATES PATENT OFFIC CLARENCE D. HAMMON, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

WASHING- MACHINE.

SIPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 576,190, dated February 2, 1897.

Application filed March 1,1895. Renewed October 30, 1896. Serial No. 610,630. (No model.)

Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and. useful Improvements in \Vashing- Machines; and I do hereby declare the fol lowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled. in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to washing-machines, and has for its object to provide an efficient machine of simple andcheap construction.

To these ends my invention consists in the novel features hereinafter described, and defined in the claim.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention, wherein, like letters referring to like parts throughout the several views- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the machine with some parts broken away. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation in the vertical plane of the plunger-operating shaft, with some parts shown in full, an dlooking outward from the right in respect to Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a detail in left side elevation showing some of the parts for imparting the step-by-step rotary motion to the washing vessel.

a a a is the main frame, of which parts a are the feet, 0. the bed-plate, and a are standards rising therefrom for supporting the angular shaft-frame b b, as will presently more fully appear. The bed a projects forward or toward the left beyond the standards a and on the projecting part of the same is mounted for rotary motion in the horizontal plane the washing vessel or receptacle 0 for holding the water and the clothing or other materials to'be washed. The said vessel 0 is provided on the outer surface of its bottom plate with an annular ratchet c, with which engages a spring-held pawl 0 The engaging end of the said pawl is cam-shaped, as shown in Fig. 3, and works through a keeper a to which the spring a is secured. The other end of the'pawl c is pivoted to an operatinglever 0 which is pivoted to one of the uprights (1 as shown at c, and is subject to a spring 0 tending to throw the lever and pawl 0 toward the right below the pivot c. In the frame b b is mounted the driving-shaft f,

which is provided at its left end with a cam comprising a disk f with a pin f for cooperation with the spring 0 to impart a rocking motion to the lever c and the pawl o for r0 tating the washing vessel 0 with an intermittent or step-by-step action through the pawland-ratchet device. The right end of the drivin g-shaft f is provided with a hand-crank f and a gear-wheel f. The said gear-wheel f engages a smaller gear g on the plungeroperating shaft g, which is mounted in the outer ends of the arms I) of the frame I) b and has attached to its left end a fly-wheel g To the shaft 9 are fixed eccentrics 9 two, as

shown, set opposite or one hundred and ninety degrees apart, and also suitably spaced apart from each other lengthwise of the shaft. On the said eccentrics 9 work straps g, to which are pivotally attached the upper ends of plunger-stems g work through the cross-bar g of a bracket g g depending from the arms I), and are of a length to reach into the wash vessel 0.

The cross-bar g is provided with elongated bearing-hubs g at the points where the plungers g pass through the bar,'for affording long bearings to the said plunger-stems. On the lower ends of the plunger-stems g are loosely mounted cup or bell shaped stampers 9- of stiff rubber or other stiff elastic material and are provided with escape passages or holes in the crown or upper portions of the same for the outward passage of the water under the stamping action. On the plunger-stems g are mounted springs g, which react against the upper ends of the stamper g and collars 9 on the plunger-stems.

These springs g permit the stampers to operate with a yielding action.

It has already been noted that the shaftframe I) b is of angular form and is adjustable in respect to the main frame a a a For this purpose the standards a of the main frame are grooved, as shown at ad, or are otherwise formed so as to serve as guides for the vertical bars I) of the shaft-frame b 1), thereby permitting the shaft-frame b b to be raised or lowered on the guide-standards a of the main frame. The vertical bars b of the shaft-frame are connected at their lower ends by cross- The said stampers g are preferably made The said plunger-stems g ICO bars 11 b and the said bars 19 12 have formed integral therewith or secured thereto a vertical section b, which has formed on its righthand face a rack h. A hand-lever b is pivoted to a post b fixed to the bed-plate a, by means of a pivot-pin Z9 engageable with a slot 1) in the said lever b and in any set of the holes I) in the post b. the hand-lever b has a ratchet-head I9 e11- gageable with the rack 11 on the shaft-frame b D. The said ratchet-head Z9 is also provided with lateral lugs b, which engage with open-ended slots in the upper end of a post b of less height than the post I)", and which serves as a rest for the said ratchet-head I) and the shaft-frame Z) 1) when engaging the said ratchet-head and adjusted upward to any point above its lowermost position. The hand-lever b ratchet-head h and rack b on 7 the shaft-frame b b afford a means for vertically adjusting the shaft-frame b b and the parts carried thereby into any desired position with respect to the main frame and the washing vessel.

Having regard to the action of the machine, it is of course obvious that by turning the handle-crank f motion will be imparted to the main driving-shat t f and the parts carried thereby, and through the gearing f g rotary motion will also be imparted,at a much higher rate of speed, to the plunger-operating shaft g. Under the motion of the eccentrics g on the said shaft the plunger-stems and stampers, which extend into the washing vessel, will receive a vertical reciprocating motion in alternate order and will operate on the clothing or other materials to be washed with a stamping action on the downstroke and more or less of a suction action on the upstroke. On the downstroke or stamping action the Stampers 9 will yield, if necessary,against the springs g in the axial line of the plungerstems, and on account of their elasticity will yield slightly in every other direction, if necessary, to adapt themselves to the clothing. In the downstroke of the stampers the water caught under the cups or stampers will escape through the passages or holes g While the clothing is being thus subjected to the action of the plungers and stampers the washing vessel 0 will also receive a step-by-step rotary The inner end of r motion under the cooperation of the cam f on the main shaft f and the spring 0 operating on the lever c and through the same on the pawl c and the annular ratchet c, fixed to the washing vessel.

The conjoint effect of the step-by-step rotary motion of the washing vessel 0 and the pounding or stamping action of the reciprocating plungers is very effective in maintaining a violent circulation of the water through the clothing, while at the same time subjecting the clothing to a rubbing or scouring motion from the plungers and the moving vessel.

' Byactual experience I have demonstrated the efficiency of this machine for the purposes had in view.

Of course it will be understood that minor changes might be made in some of the details of the construction without departing from the spirit of my invention.

It should be noted that the vessel-moving lever 0 may be operated by hand. It should also be noted that the teeth of the vertical rack 12 should be sufficiently undercut to hang on the teeth of the ratchet-head Z7 of the hand-lever 17 so as to hold the shaftframe b b in whatever position it may be set. It is necessary or desirable to provide this adjustment of the shaft-frame b b in order to compensate for different quantities of clothing in the washing vessel or to vary the force with which the plun ger-stampers are operated on the clothing.

WVhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

The combination with the main frame, having the guide-standards 0, of the washing vessel 0, on said frame, the main shaft f, the plunger-shaftg, the shaft-frame b I) adjust-- able on the standards (L as guides, the vertical rack 12 on said frame, the pivoted hand-lever I) having a ratchet-head Z9 engaging said rack b and the rest-post 12 all arranged and operating substantially as described.

I11 testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CLARENCE D. HAMMON.

Vitnesses:

J AS. F. WIL IAMsoN, E. F. ELMORE. 

